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On Friday Warner Bros film heads Mike De Luca and Pam Abdy waited for a phone call informing them of their future work.
It came this morning from Skydance CEO David Ellison confirming what they read online the night before in an anonymous report: that they would not be joining the new Warner-Paramount combined studio. That their slate of half a dozen releases, including “Batman 2” and “Gremlins 3,” would be released by someone else. And that their services were no longer needed.
It was an unexpected way to deal with the departure of two studio heads who brought Warner Bros to glory at the Academy Awards earlier this year, with the triumph of “One Battle After Another” winning Best Picture and Michael B. Jordan taking Best Actor for “Sinners”, with a special finish in 2025 at the box office.
Throughout the day the Internet fed on the unconfirmed report (so far) about what they left with Puck, with Paramount (now known as Skydance) refusing to comment. The executives were left stuck in the news cycle, getting increasingly angry at the slightest.
Ellison called each of the operators, separately, to tell them in a tense exchange. According to people in the know, he told them that the merged companies have a ton of debt and will have to restructure to meet those obligations. That, of course, is not a secret to anyone. The combined entity is expected to carry approximately $80 billion in total debt.
They were not offered a production contract. Their film slates will currently be handled by their agents, Jesse Ehrman and Mike Ireland, who are currently Executive Producers. Josh Greenstein and Dana Goldberg are co-chairmen of Paramount Pictures and are expected to lead the combined film studios.
Both De Luca and Abdy were adamant about the way the exit was handled, according to individuals familiar with their views. Abdy was particularly offended and told the mogul with some sarcasm: “Good for you. I left you 39 films.
Warner’s film slate continues to be full of winners, including “The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum,” “The Batman Part II,” “Gremlins 3” and “A Minecraft Movie Squared.”
Under De Luca and Abdy, Warner Bros. had an amazing year.
But 2026 has been much tougher with movies like “Supergirl” and “The Bride!” without encouraging the audience. The reported decision comes ahead of an expected domestic opening weekend for the Tom Cruise-led film, “Digger,” which is expected to bring in $12 million to $15 million.
Abdy and De Luca had no comment on this story. Paramount/Skydance declined to comment.
The executives are expected to have their final day when the two companies complete the merger on Tuesday.
